“My foot’s stuck,” Thaddeus said. He tried to pull it free, but despite his best efforts it remained locked in place. “It’s like a suction or something. I can’t get it out.”
Teofil returned and crouched to inspect the dark, thick substance Thaddeus had stepped in.
“What is it?” Astrid asked from over Thaddeus’s shoulder. “Ugh. It stinks.”
“I don’t think it’s just a simple mud puddle,” Fetter said from Thaddeus’s other side.
“I think you’re right,” Teofil agreed. “It’s something else.”
“Is it tree sap?” Astrid asked. She circled the tree, looking closely at the moss and bark. “This isn’t the right type of tree for something like that.”
“It’s not like any tree sap I’ve ever seen,” Teofil said.
“Okay, so we’ve ruled out tree sap and mud,” Thaddeus grumbled. “Can we maybe get my foot out of it and then figure out what it is?”
Teofil looked up at him and grinned, and Thaddeus relaxed somewhat and grinned back.
“Getting a little spooked having your foot stuck in there?” Teofil asked. “Like, if a big predator came by you wouldn’t be able to run away?”
“Not funny.”
“It’s not your injured leg, is it?”
“No, thank goodness.” But now that Teofil had mentioned his leg, it started to ache from the miles they’d walked and the strain of keeping him upright at an awkward angle.
Teofil stood, then bent at the waist. He wrapped his big hands around Thaddeus’s calf and gently tugged on it.
“Lean on my back,” Teofil said.
Thaddeus put one hand on Teofil’s back and the other on the trunk of the tree. He could feel the muscles in his back tighten and release as Teofil pulled on his leg. His foot didn’t budge, and Teofil adjusted his grip to try again, Thaddeus pulling up even harder. When he still remained stuck, Fetter joined in. After much effort with no result, Astrid grabbed his leg as well. Finally, with a great shout of effort from all four of them, Thaddeus’s foot pulled free of the sticky substance. He fell backward on his butt, his teeth clicking together hard enough to make his eyes water and his injured leg sending out bolts of pain.
“Are you hurt?” Teofil asked as he knelt beside him.
Thaddeus shook his head. “No. My injured leg’s aching, but I’m fine. What the heck is that stuff?”
“It’s definitely something unusual,” Fetter said as he inspected it. He looked up at Thaddeus. “Did your shoe come off?”
“No, thank goodness,” Thaddeus said, shaking his foot. It was coated with a heavy layer of the sticky stuff and felt twice as heavy as the other. “It’s just covered with that gunk.”
“Quiet a moment,” Astrid said. She stood very still, her arms extended and palms held up toward them. “Listen.”
They all stopped. Thaddeus strained to hear something, but the woods were silent.
“I don’t hear anything,” Thaddeus whispered.
“Exactly,” Astrid said, looking at Teofil with wide eyes. “No bird song or animals moving through the underbrush. It’s all silent.”
“Astrid’s right,” Fetter said, looking around. “Something’s wrong.”
Teofil helped Thaddeus to his feet and put an arm around his waist to support him. Thaddeus took comfort from their connection and leaned against him as he wiped his shoe back and forth along the ground in an effort to clean off the sticky residue. All he managed to do was add layers of leaves and small sticks to it, so he stopped.
“Something’s out there,” Astrid said with a tremor in her quiet voice.
They all stood very still, listening. Then from a short distance away, Thaddeus heard the muffled sound of someone crying for help.
“Someone’s in trouble.”
“I heard it. This way!” Astrid ran off through the trees.
“Astrid!” Teofil shouted. “Wait!”
“I’ll go after her,” Fetter said. “Stay here with Thaddeus.”
“I’m fine,” Thaddeus assured Teofil. “Go after them.”
Teofil looked off to where Fetter sprinted through the trees after Astrid, then back at Thaddeus. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Go.”
Teofil gave Thaddeus a quick kiss, then ran off. Thaddeus’s lips tingled from the kiss as he listened to Teofil run through the underbrush. He sat on a log and inspected the gunk and leaves covering his shoe. He broke off a handful of fern fronds and tried to wipe it off. A good portion of the gunk and most of the leaves came off onto the fern leaves, but his shoe was still sticky.
As he reached for another handful of leaves, Thaddeus heard Astrid scream and got to his feet. Before he knew it, he was running in the direction he had seen them all go, ignoring the pain in his leg. After he’d run about thirty yards, he heard something big roar from deeper within the forest directly ahead of him. He came to a sudden stop.
“What the hell was that?” he said to himself as chills prickled across his scalp.
Fetter bounded out from between a couple of trees, eyes wide and face pale as he ran toward him. “Run!”
Thaddeus took several backward steps but didn’t turn. “Where are Teofil and Astrid?”
“Run!” Fetter shouted again, hurrying past him.
Staying his ground, Thaddeus called, “Teofil!” He took a step forward but hesitated. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted more loudly, “Teofil! Astrid!”
There was still no response. He glanced behind him but found no sign of Fetter. Looking ahead once more, he let out a curse that would have gotten him in a lot of trouble if his dad had heard, and ignored Fetter’s suggestion as he started running again.
He really wished his father was there to help him decide the right thing to do. Or Miriam, who most likely knew what animal—creature?—made that frightening sound.
The roar came again, louder now, and his heart pounded as a chill ran down his back despite the humidity. Up ahead he could hear Teofil shouting at Astrid to move.
“He’s not free yet!” Astrid shouted back.
“Go!” Teofil yelled. “Now!”
Thaddeus wound his way through a thick grouping of saplings and stopped. Teofil and Astrid knelt beside a small, pale man who had both feet stuck in the same sticky gunk that had trapped Thaddeus. They each held one of the man’s legs and were pulling up as hard as they could. Somewhere deeper in the forest, Thaddeus heard the crack of trees snapping and the roar of whatever was approaching.
He clenched his fists, swallowed hard, and ran up to them. “Let me help.”
“Thaddeus!” Teofil shouted. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Thaddeus dropped to his knees behind the pale man and grabbed him under the arms. At his touch, a snap like a high wattage shock of static electricity shot through him, leaving behind a tingling sensation up and down his arms. He jumped and released his grip, but when another roar sounded, Thaddeus put aside his surprise and grabbed the man under the arms again to start pulling, thankfully with no shock this time. Slowly, painfully slowly, the pale man’s feet began to pull free of the thick, sticky goo.